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loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Friday, January 04, 2013

a new friend. . . eventually

thanks wikimedia commons

This is "The New Playmate," an oil painting dated 1873 by the Swedish artist Julius Kronberg. I like it because the interactions here are on the wry side of the usual little-girl-in-garden-with-pets genre work. If you click on the image it should pop up in a bigger version, and then I think you'll see what I'm talking about. That parrot (actually looks to be a cockatoo to me) and the child are in a beady staredown which plays out like this in my head:
Girl: What.
Bird: What.
Girl: Whatever.
Bird: Whatevs.
Dog: OMG what is that

I'm sure they all got along in time. By the way, what is up with the dishevelment in the garden? And I want to note that Kronberg had studied in Dusseldorf, in a school of approach that generally chose serene, even colors. This is vivid, lively, almost humorous in its bright palette, and I would love to know why. A special project? Or one simply close to his heart?

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

What a find! I've had to wait a few hours to check the picture on my laptop's screen (gettin big images doesn't work on my phone), and you are absolutely right, the eye contact between the girl and the bird makes the entire scene hilarious! They are not amused, unlike the dog :)I don't comment your posts regularily, but I visit the Pet Museum almost every day - this is one of my favourite web places. You are such a successful treasure hunter! Thank you for all the inspiration and joy you bring to my life!Love,Joasia